I’m getting rather into a few small hobbies at the moment with the aim to widen my intelligence spectrum, this includes; attempting to cook, making vintage cake stands and other general crafty things. One huge desire which I’ve always had, is to be able to sew, not only that but to make cushions, curtains and clothes.

Today I made the first steps to becoming a nibbled fingered sewing machine, with colleague Tracey, who once ran her own soft furnishings business, kindly giving up her lunch hour to give me my first lesson.

Now I’m a visual learner so having her there to show me what to do was fab! First I tackled the “slip” stitch, which was a little tricky to begin with, Tracey said I was being over critical, “calm yourself down, it’s only your first stitch!”. Noted.

I then moved on to the “ladder” stitch which was a little easier and my favorite. According to Tracey, it’s also her favorite stitch even though, ” it sounds a little sad having a favorite stitch, but we can now both talk about loving the “ladder” stitch and being sad together”. Im feel like I’m finally apart of the curtain gang!

I think this hobby will turn out to be a great success and I’m super excited to find out what I’ll be learning next – watch this space!

Laura Olivia, never dreamt that one day she’d be supplying her designs to manufacturers all over the world, as well as being selected by Jethro Macey for this years New Designers “One Year On” event in London.

Her colourful designs started off as watercolours, sketches and photographic images inspired by nature. Laura combines digital technology and embroidery to create bright, colourful designs, perfect to lift any mood. In an interview with The Design Hub, Laura talks about her journey from being a textile design student to now owning her own brand and how other people can go about starting their own business. Continue reading →

These students chose their desired client brief and had the challenge of sourcing appropriate fabrics and materials to use for their sample boards which they will present to the client.

The National Design Academy have a huge collection of wallpapers, fabrics, accessories and carpet samples from various designers, which give the students a large range of choice. However this can make chosing one print very difficult!

The students also had a chance to see how a design practise can be set out and organised, as well as the various ways samples and work can be displayed. James Pilling, Manager of NDA Private Clients Interior Design Service, has a magnetic wall where sketches, images or sources of inspiration can be pinned up for clients to see or as references.

The team were thrilled with how many people came along to find out more about our range of courses and how distance learning works. The atmosphere was buzzing and people were really keen to know more about what they would be studying, how the courses are delivered and what students have achieved since studying. Continue reading →

2011 is a great year to celebrate all things British. The Royal wedding aside, vintage Britannia interior accessories are fast becoming the statement style of the year. However, there is much more to this trend than meets the eye.

From April 2011 on the Southbank in London, the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain will be celebrated with a series of special events to mark the occasion. From Tracey Emin’s first major survey show in London (Hayward Gallery, 18th May to 29th August), to celebrations of ‘National Treasures’ and ‘Great Thinkers’ including the likes of Heston Blumenthal, Roy Walker and Paul Daniels, the four-month event commends the best of British culture and creativity.Continue reading →

Congratulations to Jacqui Towndrow who’s pipped all other entrants to the post and won a Kube MP3 player in the National Design Academy student competition!

It was a unanimous vote from everyone at the NDA that Jacqui’s mood board based on her favorite song “Empire” By Kasabian, due to the “eclectic mix of textures, pattern and accessories which have clearly embraced the lyrics, song style and cleverly tied this in with a prominent Interior Design trend”.

We’re counting down the hours to the launch of the NDA National Design Award 2011 and tweaking every last detail so the launch goes as smoothly as possible. This competition set up by the National Design Academy in Nottingham, gives young fresh talent a chance to shine and take home a prize which will almost certainly be a spring-board for success within Interior Design.

Yesterday I posted that I couldn’t reveal too much information about the competition and I’m sure the little teasers I left you all with got some ideas flowing. Well, today I’m going to plant another teaser to get you so excited you socks will fall off! Click HERE to find out. EEEEEEEEEK….!